1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to attaching a plastic optical fiber to a light emitting diode (LED) by melting the end of the fiber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art interconnects between optical fibers and light emitting diodes have been reviewed in "Fiber Optics Growing Strong," by Ohr and Adlerstein, Electronic Design, Nov. 8, 1979. These techniques generally use epoxy or some type of mechanical attachment to align the fiber with the LED. However, since it is difficult to accurately align the fiber close to the LED without a third material, such as the epoxy, being placed between the fiber and the LED, or scratching an optical surface or damaging the wire bond typically coupled to the LED, efficient interconnects have been difficult to achieve in a production environment.